Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Reveals First Look At Villains

We get our first look at some of the villains Ewan McGregor will square off against in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+

By Doug Norrie | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor is set to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in an upcoming series on Disney+. This kind of return to the character seemed impossible just a few years ago when Star Wars as a franchise felt confined just to groups of movie trilogies. But with the offerings only growing over the next few years, we are going to go back to this story during a crucial period in the timeline. And now we are getting our first look at who McGregor might be up against when the show starts up. 

The first look at some villains for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series came via on-set shots that were posted to the @SWEmpire account on Twitter. No Ewan McGregor to be seen, but we get a glimpse of some familiar outfits and characters who will definitely be wearing their Galactic Empire stripes. It’s a classic look for the villains of the show and a reminder of the timeline that popularized the franchise. Check it out:

Sure, these are set photos with actors moving between the lot and stage, but we get a glimpse of Indira Varma as an Imperial officer and then a Stormtrooper who is trying, but failing, to cover up his uniform with a robe. How Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan comes into conflict with these folks isn’t known, and there’s some chance they don’t even meet face-to-face. But we do know that during the events of this show there will be a heavy Empire presence for sure. 

When Ewan McGregor picks the role back up for this limited series it will be set in the timeline following the events of Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith and well before Episode IV – A New Hope. The pivotal section of years is when Luke Skywalker is growing up on Tatooine with Obi-Wan secretly watching him from a distance, ensuring he is safe and out of the reach of Darth Vader and The Emperor. The show is meant to bridge those two movies and detail the lengths Kenobi had to go to protect the young Jedi. 

In addition to Ewan McGregor and the aforementioned Varma, the rest of the cast is packed with big names in what will surely be one of the most-anticipated programs we’ve seen in this universe on Disney+. The biggest addition other than the lead will be when Hayden Christensen reprises his role as Darth Vader in the show. Whether he and Kenobi face-off isn’t known, but it stands to reason it’s in the cards. It could be just as much about Vader’s rise to power as it is about what happens on Tatooine.

ewan mcgregor obi wan star wars

Other notables with Ewan McGregor are Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse who will play Owen and Beru Lars, Luke’s adoptive parents. Plus there’s Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson, Moses Ingram, Sung Kang, and Kumail Nanjiani in undisclosed roles. Though it had been rumored, Liam Neeson is not reprising his role as Qui Gon Jinn. 

With the show filming right now, Ewan McGregor and company are set to release the six-episode series sometime in early 2022. Catching up with this character and seeing what happens a decade after Revenge of the Sith is close to a dream come true for many Star Wars fans.